Questions

• What did he do to make himself unique and stand out from the others?
• What was his childhood like?
•  What did he do in his spare time?

Childhood of Jesse James

• Born near Kerney Missouri on Sept. 5, 1847
• son of Baptist minister
• Father left in 1850 to minister the gold prospectors in California and died soon after he got there
• 3 other siblings
• lived on farm in missouri with a stepfather

What his family was like?

• entire family was Southern sympathizers and slave owners

When did he start commiting crimes?

• joined confederate guerilla band known as Quantrill's Raiders during Civil War (1863 or 1864)
• James brothers joined with Younger brothers to form outlaw band after the Civil War. (1866)

• Robbed trains and banks in Missouri, Kentucky, and midwestern states for 16 years. Always on the run.
• Married Zerelda Mimms on April 23, 1874 and had 2 children.
• Attempted to rob First National Bank of Northfield, Minnesota on Sept 7, 1876.
• Bank clerk was murdered savagely.
• 2 band members killed, posse captured the 3 Younger Brothers Jesse and Frank escaped wounded.
• Once they recovered, they went back to robbing and killing. 
• Governor of Missouri offered $10,000 reward for the capture of the James Brothers.

How did he die?

• living with his family in St. Joseph Missouri under the name of Thomas Howard.
• Robert and Charles Ford were staying with him (part of an outlaw band)
• Robert was in contact with authorities about the reward for weeks
• April 3, 1882, Jesse put down his guns to climb on a chair and straighten a piture but was shot in the back of the head by Robert Ford and died
• Frank turned himself in soon after